Double-crested cormorants are not uncommon in North America. But the way that Dennis Goodman focused his lens on the emerald eye of this individual makes the bird seem like an exotic, mythical creature.

Photographer Dennis Goodman gravitates toward birds. He loves to snap them during breeding season, when they are in their finest regalia. What drew him to the double-crested cormorant however, was not its sooty plumage, but its hard emerald gaze. "It looked exactly like a jewel," says Goodman.

Goodman collected this shot in Naples, Florida. Yet his favorite location to photograph birds is Saint Augustine, which is in the northern part of the state. He says that the rookeries there are incomparable.

Once a hobbyist, Goodman now does art shows all over Florida. His mantra? "I always compose a photograph as if I am a painter about to paint a photograph of a bird." He also says that background is crucial. "I look at my backgrounds more than I look at my subject, and I compose the shot based on that."

This image was a Top 100 photo from the 2013 Audubon Magazine Photography Awards. To see all of the photos, click here.